Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-07-01

and partisan spirit as that of Washing
ton.
Jackson's administration was the first
which was thoroughly dominated by party,
and among the best remembered of its
doings were the establishment of rota-
ton in office, and that savage spols sys-
TEN which have since disgraced our poll
tics and official life a system which no
party has had the courage to attack, but
which has been for several years steadily
yielding to that higher independent senti-
ment in both parties to which all party
managers are hostile, and all partisans
dread and defame.
The mighty contest over slavery forcibly
illustrates the great truth, that the moral
and political forces which preserve and
ennobie nations have not their origin in
party or in the contests of parties. In its
early stages, that conflict was not one of
parties, but of sections. When party
first took the field it was not tor liberty
but for slavery. That party became the
relentless prosecutor of the little band
who, rising far above all mere party in
terests and aspirations, nobly stood and
suffered for liberty and justice. 1t was
not any party, nor any party managers,
nor any spirit born of party contests but
the conscience, the moral courage, the in
dependent, non partisan heroism of Ben
jamin Lundy, Garrison, Prudence Gran
dali, Samuel j. May, Gerritt Smith, John
Quincy Adams, Lovejoy, Phillips, Gid
dlngs, Sumner, Frederick Douglass and
their followers, prosecuted by partisans,
detested by party leaders through years of
noble efforts, often at the peril of liberty
and life-it was the virtues of such men,
despite their fanaticism sometimes, which
so aroused public sympathy and indigna-
ton rs TO make slavery uncomfortable, and
its eXtirpatlon certain. These men and
the men who worked with them, outside
and above mere party lines, were the poll
teal force which annihilated the whig
party, and overthrow the democratic party
both parties alike the victims of the
moral cowardice and the bitter intoler-
ance of mere partisan spirit blind alike
to duty and to craftsmanship.
These Independent patriots indeed made
new party, and inspired it with their
own high principles and noble courage for
| the great issue they had raised. 1t was
indeed, IN the name of this new party. and
largely through the increased power due
to Its party organization, that the old par
tlsan defenders of slavery were defeated !;
and having acted with this new party
from its origin, it is not in my heart to
under estimates in consistency for liberty
and the Union, or to fail to claim for it
| the honor due to the greatest achieve
ment in the history of the world ever &C
compllshed under the lead of party. Yet,
it must be remembered, in. considering
the aggregate effects OF highly organized
and despotic parties, that the armies of
! freedom were at first seriously weakened
that many more battles were made nee
| eSSary, that hundreds of millions were
added to the cost of the war, and tens Of
thousands to its victims, by reason of the
distrust, the prejudices, the blind, parti-
san zeal and the enslavlng discipline of
the adherents of the old party-men, new
ertheless generally patriotic at heart and
much like the rest OF us. And we should
also remember that victory never came
and was never possible, until true patriot
ism and love OF justice-those noble SEN
timents which no one party ever embodies,
and which, in the hour of a nations peril,
no party can ever subordlnate-broke the
bonds Of their enslavement, and, irrespect-
| i've of party lines, arrayed all true lovers
OF their country side by side on its battle
fields to fight and die together for its hon
or and glory.
1t is not for this, but for some calmer
! generation of the future, 10 estimate the
loss or gain to the country which, since
the war, have been the result Of the greed
for patronage, the seml-military disci-
| pine, the recrlmlnatiug spirit, the parti-
san tests for Office the domneering in
tolerance, distrusts and hates of cur great
parties.
But even now it must be plain TO our
eyes, as we look back, how small was the
| courage and disinterestedness required, on
the part OF the members of a new party
y,
already made popular, compared with the
measure of those virtues needed to first
establish that cause against the old party
majority-a retrospect not wholly unpro-
ftable if IL shall enable us to better APP
preciate the attitude and the merits OF
party managers in respect of some great
questions of principle now before u.s. We
may in The near past read the great truth
that no party can gain strength by fight
ing over old battles, and neglectlng or
belittling the vital issues of the present
hour, sure to be decisive in the future
Yet how generally, III our political ora
tory, is far more space given to fulsome
praise of assumed party virtues and
achievements than to the vital issues OF
J the hour. Are we to conclude that pure
and simple patriotism. irrespective of par
ty-that most conservative virtue which
the ancient republics trusted aud glorited
has, in times OF peace, become needless
or impossible under our great republic
d There is another view of our party his
tory which has deep gnificance-thal
bearing on the ability of party, under
the most favorable conditions, to long pre-
serve the pure spirit and lofty Ideals
which it has inherited. No party ever fell
a higher inspiration, was ever grounded
on more enduring principles. ever fought
tor nobler cause, ever lad the honor and
, the strength OF grander triumph, than
/ the party which dominated our politics
from lSDU 10 1904. NO party ever ulscrtu
tied itself more than did the party
which had ruled before 1860. Never
, theless, the latter party now has the pres
idency, won by a victory, unaided BY fed
eral patronage, over Il party with so glo
rious a record, entreuched in hundred
? thousand offices, organized and dlscl
plined almost like an army, and welding
the national administration with all it,
t stupendous resources for party warfare
2 What made this victory posslble9 Was II
the general decay of the American people
, Was it the superior virtues naturally bred
: outside public administration Was it &
l corruption inevitable to IA party in power
Or was it the result of IA vicious sort OF sys
5 tenn, enforced by scheming, arrogant lead
ers, which repealed men of self-respectine
7 character, and substituted organization
patronage, schemng and political assess
: ments for patriotism. principle, personal
worth as the strength OF a party This is
not the place for answering these grave
3 questions. But it is a place to lament
that lack of the candor and of the philo
sophie spirit in our politics which have
prevented any writer answering them in 4
l non partisan temper, and which makes il
a ! al